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Alon Penzel said he was detained, his passport and placard were taken, and he was questioned before eventually being allowed to board his flight.
By Shula Rosen
London Luton Airport in Bedfordshire, England, has apologized to an Israeli author who said he was detained by security personnel while carrying a sign promoting his book about the Oct. 7 attack and announced enhanced staff training following the incident, The Times of Israel reported.
The airport said in a Feb. 27 letter that it had introduced additional training measures to ensure employees treat all passengers — including Jewish and Israeli travelers — with “professionalism, equality and respect.”
The complaint was filed by Alon Penzel, author of Testimonies Without Boundaries: Israel: October 7th, 2023, who traveled to the United Kingdom in November 2024 to speak about the book at the House of Lords in the British Parliament.
On Nov. 18, after clearing security at Luton Airport for his return flight to Tel Aviv, Penzel said he was stopped by a security officer after the officer noticed a placard he was carrying that advertised the book.
Penzel was also wearing a sweatshirt reading “End Jew Hatred.”
According to Penzel, the officer argued that the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas was “only one incident since the illegal occupation began” and warned that the placard could be “considered offensive to passengers in the airport.”
The situation escalated when additional security staff and police officers were called to the gate. Penzel said he was detained, his passport and placard were taken, and he was questioned before eventually being allowed to board his flight.
“I very quickly realized that this was something antisemitic, not about security or procedure,” Penzel said. “This was an antisemitic employee who decided to detain me.”
In its letter to Penzel, the airport acknowledged shortcomings in the handling of the encounter.
“We fully acknowledge that your experience fell below the customer experience standards we expect and strive to uphold.”
“Following your complaint, we introduced enhanced training for our staff, which is intended to reinforce our firm commitment to ensuring that every passenger is always treated with fairness, courtesy, and respect,” the letter said.
“We would also like to provide our clear and unequivocal assurance to our Jewish and Israeli passengers, and to you personally, that you are welcome at London Luton Airport.”
A spokesperson for the airport said police had been asked to attend after staff were alerted to a passenger carrying a placard at the boarding gate but said the airport does not accept every aspect of the complaint.
The airport also said the security guard who initially stopped Penzel no longer works there, according to UK Lawyers for Israel.
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